The NFB is committed to respecting your privacy

We use cookies to ensure that our site works efficiently, as well as for advertising purposes.

If you do not wish to have your information used in this way, you can modify your browser settings before continuing your visit.

Learn more
Skip to content Accessibility
Subjects (65)
Plants (11)

Pests and Pest Control (3)

  • Herbicide Trials
    Herbicide Trials
    We're sorry, this content is not available in your location.
    Neal Livingston 1984 48 min
    In 1983, fifteen Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, landowners went to court to stop the spraying of herbicides by the local subsidiary of a Swedish multinational on forests adjacent to their properties. They found that the testimony of scientists and the support of public opinion, both here and abroad, were not enough to win their case. The film shows their ordeal and the landmark Sydney trial. Concerns raised included potential conflict-of-interest situations where a government must protect citizens' health while supporting certain kinds of industry; the relative value of the political and judicial processes in mediating social problems; and the need for a public forum for debating environmental issues. The film contains outstanding footage from chemical-industry films of the 1950s and recent material about Vietnam veterans affected by Agent Orange.
  • Man Against a Fungus
    Man Against a Fungus
    Maurice Constant 1955 38 min
    This film dramatically portrays a struggle that is waged annually in wheat-growing areas--man against the wheat rust fungus. Views of the destruction caused during rust epidemics emphasize the urgency with which plant pathologists are endeavoring to breed resistant wheats and, eventually, to annihilate the blight. Animation, time-lapse photography and cinephotomicrography illustrate the life cycle of the fungus and the complex alternation of generations which poses one of the chief problems.
  • Poisons, Pests and People
    Poisons, Pests and People
    Larry Gosnell 1960 59 min
    Produced in 1960, this 2-part documentary examines the effects of widespread chemical insecticide on insects and on warm-blooded creatures including humans. Part 1 looks at the ravages of insects and the centuries-old struggle to control them. Part 2 shows experiments to find ways of controlling specific insects, while leaving harmless ones unaffected.

Explore